The
Roman Baths at Bath are arguable the single biggest attraction for
visitors coming to Bath. If you visit as part of a tour group the
Roman Baths will normally be included in your itinerary.
Bath itself lies over 100 miles due west of London, but has fast transport
links making an independent day trip an easy option for all visitors.
The Baths are at the very centre of Bath only about 5 minutes walk
from the train and bus stations.
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Roman
Baths Official Web Site
(including opening times and prices) |
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How
Long To Budget For Visit & Tour Logistics
The
Baths can get very crowded, especially in the peak summer months.
Most of the coach tours from London start arriving around lunch time.
If you're visiting independently its thus quite a good idea to make
for the Baths early morning as soon as you arrive.
At the peak of summer the Baths are open in the evening, another good
time for the independent visitor.
An audio tour is part of the admission price. This is available in
many languages. You simply key in the number of the room or place
you are in and a full commentary is given. There are many optional
commentaries within some commentaries that go into great detail about
individual items.
For the average person you will be in the Baths around an hour or
less. If you listen to every possible commentary on the audio device
it could extend to perhaps 90 minutes.
Visitors are welcome to use handheld cameras and video recorders on
site, including the use of flash, for non-commercial photography.
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There
are also guided tours provided by staff every hour of the Bath section
only. These are in English only.
The Roman Baths do not have dedicated storage facilities for visitors'
coats and bags. Heavy luggage cannot be taken onto the site. You have
to carry around with you whatever you arrive with.
You have to follow a defined route through the complex.
Unusually, the highlight for many is right at the start. Most photos
you see are from the terrace looking down into the Baths, (like the
one at the top of the page). The Terrace is the first place you come
to on the tour route. A lot of the Roman Baths extend under the modern
ground level, beneath adjacent streets and squares, so many visitors
are surprised when they discover just how big the site really is.
You then descend through the complex from the terrace, finishing in
the Pump Rooms where of course there is a gift shop also.
Hot water at a temperature of 460C rises here at the rate of 1,170,000
litres (that’s 240,000 gallons) every day and has been doing
this for thousands of years. In Roman times, about 2,00 years ago
a great Temple was built next to the Spring. Of course to the Romans
this was a luxury, just like they had back in Rome.
The Temple courtyard was the sacred area surrounding the Temple. On
your visit you will walk through it. This was the place where worshippers
gathered to pray to the goddess and sacrifices were made at the great
altar. The Roman plumbing and drainage system is still largely in
place and shows the ingenuity of the Roman engineers. You will find
a sequence of heated rooms and plunges and a display on Roman bathing
throughout the Empire.
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Pump
Rooms
Long after the Romans, Bath became a very fashionable
place to hang out. The architecture and many of the attractions at
Bath originate to this time when society decamped to Bath.
The Pump Rooms were very much one of the central places to be seen.
They are part of the Baths Complex itself but there is free entry |
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| The
restaurant in the Pump Room provides you with an opportunity to relive
these times. English food served in elegant surroundings with linen
tablecloths, table service, fresh flowers. Fresh food prepared on
the premises, cooked to order using local produce. Great ambience.
Live music by the Pump Room Trio or a solo pianist. |
Thermae
Bath Spa
With the approach of the Millennium, money from the
UK lottery was made available towards a major project to reopen a
safe commercial spa once more in Bath.
Originally planned to open in 2002, Thermae Bath Spa eventually opened
to the public on 7 August 2006, thus ending a 28-year period during
which the waters at Bath remained unavailable for bathing.
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This
is the only place in Britain where you can bathe in natural hot spring
water and in an open-air rooftop location. The spa has four luxurious
floors offering the latest spa treatments and therapies.
Thermae
Bath Spa Official Web Site |
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